Middle East|Iraqi Prime Minister Resigns in Deepening Political CrisisAnger over corruption and Iran’s influence on the country has driven weeks of unrest in Iraq’s streets. But choosing a successor may be a long, arduous task. The Iranian Consulate in Najaf, Iraq, was set aflame by protesters this week, escalating the crisis that brought down the government.Credit...Ivor Prickett for The New York TimesNAJAF, Iraq — Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi of Iraq formally submitted his resignation to Parliament on Saturday and…

Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Friday he would step down after two months of street protests across the country's south and centre. The announcement came hours after Iraq's top Shia religious leader, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, released a statement calling for a change in leadership in Iraq. On Thursday, powerful Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, who leads the largest bloc in parliament, Sairoon, had also demanded that the government resign and said that if it did not do so, it…

Pablo Iglesias and his Unidas Podemos party, who are likely to join a governing coalition for the first time, have had a bumpy ride. What lies ahead could be just as rough.Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the far-left Unidas Podemos party, at a campaign event in Barcelona early this month.Credit...Emilio Morenatti/Associated PressNov. 30, 2019MADRID — Pablo Iglesias and his Podemos party burst onto the Spanish political scene in 2015 by winning more than one-fifth of the vote in their first…

US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell on Friday savaged the Norwegian ambassador to Iran Lars Nordrum for lauding a European system to circumvent American sanctions targeting Tehran for its illicit nuclear activities and terrorism. “Terrible timing – why fund the Iranian regime while it’s killing the Iranian people and shutting off the Internet?” tweeted Grenell, the most high-profile US ambassador in Europe. “You should be standing for human rights not funding the abusers.” The UK-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International…

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionIraqi protesters celebrate as the PM says he will step downIraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi is to submit his resignation, his office says, after more than 40 people were killed on the bloodiest day since anti-government protests began.Iraq's top Shia Muslim cleric condemned the use of force against protesters and called for a new government.About 400 people have been killed in protests since the start of October, and at least 15…

Baghdad, Iraq - As anti-government protests demanding a complete overhaul of the political system continue from the capital to the mainly Shia south, some protesters have focused their anger on official Iranian facilities. In the strongest expression of anti-Iranian sentiment since demonstrations began in early October, protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in the Shia holy city of Najaf on Wednesday night, bringing down the Iranian flag and replacing it with Iraq's. They then set it ablaze. Iranian diplomats and staff narrowly escaped out…

Image copyright EPA Image caption UAE and Saudi forces are in a coalition against Houthi rebels The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has helped repatriate 128 rebels from Saudi Arabia to Yemen.It comes two days after the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels said they would release 200 Houthi prisoners and allow medical cases to be flown out of Yemen's rebel-held capital.Sanaa's airport has been closed for years amidst Yemen's ongoing civil war.At least 7,000 people have died since…

Baghdad, Iraq - Iraqi security forces on Thursday shot dead at least 44 people in the country's south in one of the bloodiest days of violence since the anti-government protests erupted in early October. At least 33 protesters were reported killed in Nasiriya city after security forces used live ammunition and tear gas canisters on crowds while another 11 people were killed in Shia holy city of Najaf, where an Iranian consulate was torched a day earlier by angry protesters. Security sources…